Prologue

  “Focus, Yohan.”

  An exasperated voice demanded his attention.

  Snapping back into reality, he faced a man who was sitting opposite of him.

  Dressed in a silk bathrobe draped over his shoulders with a wide exposure of muscur physique; as if crafted by the hands of Michengelo himself, made him look like a living depiction of a European god’s sculpture. His face— as if carved by gods with his emerald eyes embedded like gems, he was the second prince of the Empire of Eir, Laurent Carlos La Eir.

  He narrowed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows, revealing an impatient expression.

  “Did you hear what I said to you? Your mind is running off somewhere again.”

  “I apologise for my ignorance, Your Highness,” Yohan replied weakly, casting an uncomfortable gnce to the side. He awkwardly straightened his back, feeling the immense pressure from the other party. However, he regained his composure, remembering his duty as His Highness’s bodyguard.

  “We could discuss this tomorrow. More importantly, you shouldn’t be out of your chamber, Your Highness. If Sebastian was to notice your absence, it would arm the whole pace,” Yohan firmly warned. He carefully collected the empty teacups on the table and walked away, excusing himself.

  In the bathroom, Yohan slowly washed the cups. Taking his time, he noticed a weary young man with tousled bck hair in his reflection, having an overall depressive appearance. He tried to smile, but his eyes couldn’t hide his exhaustion.

  Exhausted from living twice.

  In his first life, he was a poor college student in the modern world, named Yu De. He lived his life without his childhood memories, and was abandoned by his adopted parents. Because of his upbringing, he rarely interacted with anyone, and sought soce in his solitude, detached from his struggles to make ends meet.

  However his suffering was short lived. On his usual trip to the convenience store, he was fatally hit by a truck, ending his obscure life.

  When he opened his eyes, he was bewildered to be transmigrated into a game world that took pce in mediaeval times. A system introduced itself and requested one thing from the pyer.

  [Completing missions is, and should be your priority, your return to your original world, and will only be guaranteed if you achieve the 'death ending' !]

  ‘…Imagine being relieved that you got a chance to live again, just to be asked to die for world peace’ He protested.

  However, living in an unfamiliar world with no prior knowledge, he was left no choice but to walk down the scripted path.

  He set off to be an Imperial Knight, working his way up to be the right-hand man of the Crown Prince, and aided in the war against Ordin, the neighbouring country.

  It was once famous for its capital city, Orias Port, a popur trading hub where the world’s trade took pce due to its convenient geographical location. It had an abundance of natural resources and minerals, making its nd rich and valuable.

  Between the borders of the two countries, there was a barren nd named “No Man’s nd”. The nd that was once stretched over with light blue skies that painted the horizon, a portrait that contained beauties of every possible shade was now repced with a dull grey hue. The only colour in sight.

  It was a phenomenon resulting from the residue degradation of the waste nd, filled with rotten corpses and monsters.

  Clouds that resembled spirals formed a vortex in the sky, a mesmerising yet ominous sight. Years ago, miners discovered the vortex and began drilling deep into the uninhabitable ground.

  Schors suspected it to be caused by the ‘Outer-core’— the origin of Calibre.

  Calibre was the manifestation of the souls’ will. It could be categorised into mental and physical abilities.

  Physical abilities could manipute the invisible forces and natural phenomena that could change the natural ws, or a straightforward enhancement of one’s physical state. While mental abilities could affect psychological behaviour.

  However, Calibre was not omnipotent, it had its properties and restrictions, limited to humans’ capability.

  Since he was absent from the world’s database, Yohan was not bound by any phenomenon present in this world. Unable to manifest a Calibre, the system granted him an ability, “Nothingness”.

  His ability was self-beneficial and acted as a defence mechanism— to fully resist any mental abilities. This helped him to create a misunderstanding that he held a mystery Calibre, instilling fear in his enemies. However, that fear came from his swordsmanship, not his ability.

  With this, he completed his missions, bringing victory back to the Empire of Eir. The Emperor commended his effort, bestowing him with the title of ‘Count’, estates and special rights. The citizens called him the Hero of Eir and celebrated the success of the war.

  It was then the system revealed his actual role, The Betrayer. Him deliberately sharing hopes with the people, gaining trust with his comrades, and his sincerity towards Laurent were all stepping stones to achieve his death ending.

  Infuriated by the system’s deception, he sought his own way to live his life— to experience emotions he previously didn’t have.

  As, The system made no exception to his defiance.

  [Pyer Yohan, if you continue your obscene behaviour with the male lead, it will be ruled as a viotion. You will receive punishment for not complying to the system’s rules.] It warned.

  “Viotion?” He raised his voice. “You didn't say anything about- hah, never mind. Tell me what’s the punishment.”

  [A forced death.]

  The unpleasant memories flooded his mind as the water flowed from the tap filled the basin, submerging the two cups.

  A hand from behind closed the tap lightly, and tightly wrapped his arm around Yohan’s waist. He snuggled his head on his shoulder, his golden hair, brushed against his skin as he whispered pitifully. “What’s wrong? Is it because I was acting harsh on you just now? If so, please forgive me.”

  “It’s not that, your highness,” Yohan sighed. “It’s just that…”

  “Just what?” Laurent sharply raised his voice. His elongated fingers that were ruffling his hair cupped his cheeks. With a serious face, he took a deep breath and finally gave his ultimatum.

  “For many days, you have been acting distant, as if you’re a stranger. You know how many people value you, right? Everyone is worried about you, your health and your mood. I don’t need you to protect me or my Empire if the burdens you’re shouldering drain your life away. So please, Yohan, don’t be so hard on yourself.”

  Yohan pushed Laurent’s hands away, his dull eyes on the brink of tears. However it wasn’t Laurent that made him emotional.

  [Warning! Warning! Close contact, —- story -progression: negative.]

  [Punishment- instilled]

  “N-no,” he mumbled. His eyes shaken in fear, fixated at a certain angle.

  He knew pursuing a retionship with the crown prince was extremely risky. But it was an act of rebellion against the system who forced him to take up a role he never asked for.

  Now, the system wanted him to be dead for good. So much for having another chance to live again, and he was easily discarded for the second time.

  For all his life, he was unwanted and used by others. And when he wanted something for himself, it never stayed permanent.

  His love for Laurent only existed as a validation of his existence as a human being and not a pyer.

  Especially when he had to deal with a situation that didn’t matter to him made it useless to even fight for.

  Yohan bit his lips out of habit and let out a tsk before he faced Laurent.

  Masking his overwhelming frustration, he smiled faintly and said, “as long as you keep me company, I won’t think of anything unnecessary.”

  He stretched his body and gave Laurent a peck.

  “So say that you love me, please.”

  ———

  As Yohan gained control of his slipping consciousness, he saw his feet standing on a rough wooden pnk. His ears perked as the muffled cheered victoriously, chanting the words “banish”, “eradicate”, “cleanse”.

  His numb mind was overwhelmed , but he understood the situation he was in. In front of him was an angry mob, violently throwing their hands out and shouting incessantly.

  Above the elevated ptform, a hanging rope swayed along with the breezy wind. Then, he looked to his side where the imperial royal family sat stoic on their thrones.

  The emperor snted his body, supporting his chin with his palm while tapping the armrest restlessly. Next to him was the second prince, sitting unnervingly on the pin throne. His body flinched, yet he looked in the other direction. His eyes darkened to the colour of natural emerald and his lips were dried. Once an astute man, who had become an empty shell of his former self, left to deal with the aftermath.

  As the rope tightened behind Yohan, strangely, he felt more regret than fear. For once, he felt a strong tug at the heartstrings, aching for the warmth he neglected long ago. He couldn’t help but to smile bitterly. He did everything he could to love Laurent, despite the Emperor’s decree to eradicate same-sex retionships.

  Yohan felt more pathetic after achieving the death ending that he purposefully sought after. Despite the system’s promise to return him back to his original world, there was nothing to live for.

  [Ding!]

  [Congrats to Yohan, Дrocicdo wgsvvxo? obpybqs? o,pybqod?]

  His remaining will dissipate after seeing the system notification. Before he could understand it, another system notification popped up.

  [?χ?????=?]

  It was the first of many. Soon ter, the same messages were overpping and glitching. Yohan was taken aback.

  ‘Is the system glitching? Rebooting? What is going on?’

  The unpredictable characters appeared briefly before being repced by a new set of codes. It was like a whirlwind of numbers, symbols, and characters all mixed together. This abnormality distracted Yohan from his situation.

  Suddenly, the church bell tolled. A burp was pced overhead, blocking his vision. The suffocation consumed his thoughts, succumbing to a long battle of peace.